These comments are responses
to the statements listed below,
which were generated in regard to the David Frederickson
Interview of 03-14-2014.

Agriculture will continue to be
an important contributor to Minnesota's competitiveness

OVERVIEW

Agriculture is a
huge part of the state's economic base, according to Minnesota
Commissioner of Agriculture David Frederickson. Minnesota brings in
$20.6 billion in direct income through sales of agricultural products
from its 79,800 farms. Adding in processing and production,
agriculture generates about $50 billion. Using an economic multiplier
of 1.7, agriculture has a $90 billion economic effect in the state,
both direct and indirect. Minnesota exports $8.2 billion in
agricultural products, ranking fourth in the country.

Frederickson says
helping farmers add value to the state's agricultural products has
become a priority at the Minnesota Department of Agriculture, as has
supporting new immigrant farmers through a micro-loan program and
working with farmers to protect the state's rivers and lakes.

He worries about
the rising costs of farmland and agricultural inputs and how they will
impact the cost of production and act as barriers to entry for younger
and more diverse would-be farmers. He foresees farms getting bigger,
leading to fewer people in rural areas. But he is very positive about
the potential for organic farming and said the survival of small,
rural towns probably depends on new immigrants getting involved in
organic farming. He stresses the importance of agricultural research
at Minnesota colleges and universities.

Response Summary:Average
response ratings shown below are simply the mean of all readersí
zero-to-ten responses to the ideas proposed and should not be
considered an accurate reflection of a scientifically structured poll.

To assist the
Civic Caucus in planning upcoming interviews, readers rated these
statements about the topic on a scale of 0 (strongly disagree) to 5
(neutral) to 10 (strongly agree):

2. Further study
warranted. (8.2
average response) It would be
helpful to schedule additional interviews on this topic.

Readers rated
the following points discussed during the meeting on a scale of 0
(strongly disagree) to 5 (neutral) to 10 (strongly agree):

3. MN should
support agriculture. (9.1
average response) The state of
Minnesota has a vested interest in assisting agriculture because of
its contribution to the state's economy.

4. Farms will
likely be larger. (8.5
average response) Itís highly
likely that Minnesota farms will continue to get larger because the
growth in prices of farmland, feed, fertilizer and other agricultural
inputs will eventually make smaller farms unprofitable.

5. Small organic
farms will proliferate. (7.1
average response) While high land
prices will preclude poorer segments of the population from entering
mainstream agriculture, the number of small organic farms is likely to
grow.

6. Towns to
depend on immigrant farmers. (5.5
average response) Survival of many
small rural towns may be dependent upon new immigrants getting
involved in organic farming.

7. Farmers must
reduce nitrates in water. (8.5
average response) Preserving the
quality of the state's water supply will require farmers to
significantly reduce the amounts of nitrates from fertilizer entering
the water.

Response
Distribution:

Strongly
disagree

Moderately
disagree

Neutral

Moderately
agree

Strongly agree

Total
Responses

1. Topic is
of value.

0%

0%

8%

33%

58%

12

2. Further
study warranted.

0%

0%

25%

25%

50%

12

3. MN should
support agriculture.

0%

0%

8%

31%

62%

13

4. Farms will
likely be larger.

0%

0%

8%

46%

46%

13

5. Small
organic farms will proliferate.

0%

8%

31%

38%

23%

13

6. Towns to
depend on immigrant farmers.

23%

0%

23%

38%

15%

13

7. Farmers
must reduce nitrates in water.

0%

0%

15%

31%

54%

13

Individual
Responses:

Dave
Broden (10) (10) (10) (7.5) (7.5) (5) (10)

1. Topic is of
value.
The interview provided a comprehensive view of the importance and
evolution of agriculture in the economy and quality of life in MN. A
breadth of subjects which expanded awareness of the scope and variety
of subjects involved was used.

2. Further study
warranted.
Additional interviews regarding agriculture as viewed by other
segments such as the agribusiness, e.g. Cargill,. or food, e.g.,
General Mills, or similar would be beneficial. As would someone from
the U of M St. Paul Campus School of Agriculture.

3. MN should
support agriculture.
Agriculture is not only a key part of the economy it is critical to
the food supply, health safety, environment, etc.

4. Farms will
likely be larger.
The size of farms will increase in some areas and categories as
technology and costs increase. In addition there will be some balance
with small specialty farms increasing in some areas. This is also true
in growth of orchards, vineyards, etc.

5. Small organic
farms will proliferate.
Agree that smaller organic farms and related specialty farms will
evolve to play an important role.

6. Towns to
depend on immigrant farmers.
The organic farms may impact the survival of small towns but there are
other factors that must be considered as outstate MN evolves. Example
are a) the types of businesses; b) logistics of supply to small towns;
c) demographics, etc.

7. Farmers must
reduce nitrates in water.
The agriculture industry has moved positively in the direction of
control of the nitrates and other factors and this will continue and
expand into other items as well.

Scott Halstead (7.5) (10) (10) (7.5) (10) (10) (10)

2. Further study
warranted.
The role that agriculture plays and could play in rural economic
development is one topic for further study. The environmental issues
surrounding agriculture [are] very large. Water use is certainly a
big issue as our population increases and irrigation becomes more
prevalent.

3. MN should
support agriculture.
It is essential for our rural economy and communities. We need to
encourage processing close to agriculture production and keep jobs in
our rural communities.

4. Farms will
likely be larger.
That becomes a disaster for our nation as a wealthy ownership controls
crop production and our food supply.

5. Small organic
farms will proliferate.
Thankfully so. We need safe, quality food that is grown with
reasonable impact upon our environment.

6. Towns to
depend on immigrant farmers.
That introduces the topic of education, a living wage and community
developed for our rural communities.

7. Farmers must
reduce nitrates in water.
We also have issues of wildlife and wetlands that are important

Phil
Kinnunen (10) (10) (10) (10) (2.5) (7.5) (10)

5. Small organic
farms will proliferate.
I believe organic farming has a place, but is more of a fad than an
area for large growth. We still have some hippies left over from the
70's, but they are few and far between. I believe a large area of
study and support should be GMO crop research and development. There
are those that oppose GMO, but if we are going to feed the world and
help clean up the environment at the same time, we have to go there.

6. Towns to
depend on immigrant farmers.
I believe we need to get somebody, anybody involved with farming in
general. [As] I mentioned earlier, the organic farming is going to
have to evolve if it is going to become more than a passing fad. In
the end, most people are interested in eating to fill their stomach
because they are hungry; they will look at the price of what they are
buying more so than where or how it was produced.

7. Farmers must
reduce nitrates in water.
This will be an ongoing issue and needs to be addressed.

Anonymous (7.5) (10) (10) (10) (5) (0) (5)

Vici
Oshiro (10) (5) (7.5) (10) (10) (7.5) (10)

1. Topic is of
value.
Don't read many of the summaries but felt I had been neglecting my
interest in agriculture and am encouraged by Frederickson's report.

3. MN should
support agriculture.
Depends on how "support" in interpreted and implemented.

4. Farms will
likely be larger.
Ecological considerations may counteract some of the influences of
consolidation.

Don
Anderson (5) (5) (10) (10) (5) (5) (7.5)

6. Towns to
depend on immigrant farmers.
Present immigration policies will have to change to allow new
immigrants to become citizens.

Anonymous (10) (10) (10) (10) (10) (10) (10)

7. Farmers must
reduce nitrates in water.
I believe the multiplier effect for Agribusiness is understated. Our
company does print and promotions for companies such as Cargill,
General Mills and MOM Brands, Minnesota food companies rooted [in] our
local agriculture.

Dale
Lueck (10) (7.5) (10) (10) (5) (0) (5)

6. Towns to
depend on immigrant farmers.
That statement is completely biased towards an element of the ag
industry that must charge more for their products because of the
production practices they choose to employ and cannot meet the growing
needs of food production in a manner that will support stable food
prices to the general public. Organic farming is a production practice
that tends to produce product that costs more than conventional
production practices and serves a consumer market that has the option
to pay almost any price for their food. That does not serve the
general public or add to stable, affordable food prices. A diversified
local economy will help small rural towns survive.

7. Farmers must
reduce nitrates in water.
The focus needs to be on reducing the amount of nitrates that are not
utilized by plants. Working backwards solely focused on water
quality does not enhance the prospect of resolving the issue in an
economically feasible manner that supports both water quality and
maintaining a strong capacity to cost-effectively produce food.

Wayne Jennings (10) (8) (10) (7) (8) (7) (10)

Paul
and Ruth Hauge (7) (5) (8) (8) (7) (6) (8)

Tom
Spitznagle (10) (8) (9) (7) (5) (5) (6)

Chuck Lutz (9) (10) (9) (8) (9) (8) (9)

Roger A. Wacek (na) (na) (5) (5) (8) (0) (10

Water quality,
survival of small rural towns, land prices, and fossil fuel inputs are
all factors driven by the Farm Program. Without significant changes to
the Farm Program we're wasting our time.

The Civic Caucusis a non-partisan,
tax-exempt educational organization. The Interview Group
includes persons of varying political persuasions,
reflecting years of leadership in politics and
business. Click here to see a short personal background of each.